All I Ever Needed
by InfinityxInfinity21
Summary: Set after Season 2 finale. Emily/Jack Emily/Nolan "Well maybe you should turn on the news Ms. Thorne, because if what I am hearing around the grapevine is true; this book is about to get a lot more interesting." I hang up the phone with lightning speed. "Nolan's been arr..." I turn around to find Jack Porter gone...
1. Chapter 1

_"I'm Amanda Clarke."_

* * *

><p>Jack just stares at me shaking for what seems like five minutes, but in reality I know it was only a few seconds.<p>

I can not help the tears that roll out of my eyes upon seeing the anguish in his. I knew from the minute the words "I'm Amanda Clarke" left my lips that he would never be able to forgive me, but I did not have time to think about the aftermath, I just needed to get him under control and out of there.. fast.

Without giving him enough time to process what I was doing, I snatched the gun out of his hand. It wasn't much of a fight given his current state of shock. He looks down at his empty hands and then back up at me, and that's when I see it. The anger.

Before he can begin yelling and screaming at me, I mumble something about needing to get out of there. I can't even recall what my exact words were. I dismantle the gun with ease, and stuff it in my jacket. My mind switches to escape mode as I quickly begin to plan our exit. Jack stares at me as if I have grown another head.

When I see our escape route, I grab Jack's hand to lead him in the right direction, but he quickly pulls it away. I feel more tears form in my eyes, but as quickly as they appeared, they were gone. I keep moving toward the exit, doing my best to keep my head down. I don't want to be recognized, I just want to escape. I finally reach the door and feel relief, but it's splitting. As soon as my feet hit the pavement and the door is shut, I turn around to see Jack, but what I find stops me in my tracks.

The man standing in front of me isn't the same boy I remember so vividly from my childhood. Not the same boy who used to let me bury him in the sand, not the same boy who would spend an entire afternoon playing dress up with me, just because it made me happy. No, the man standing in front of me was broken. Jack looked like he had aged fifteen years in only a day, and it was killing me.

I sucked in a deep breath. "Jack..." I wanted to explain everything to him. I think about the moment in time that I was willing to tell him everything, to expose myself to him, just to be with him forever, but that dream was quickly shattered when a very pregnant Amanda came back into the picture. "Don't" he says sharply. "Just don't. How...How could I have been so stupid." He's starting to get louder, and I look around nervously. I don't see anyone nearby. "Jack, don't do that to yourself.." I begin to say. "NO" he yells, "Do you have any idea what you have done?!" I look up at him and I feel the tears forming in my eyes again. "What is wrong with you, what happened to.."

I thank God my phone begins to ring, stopping Jack from his tirade. I look at the caller ID..."It's the police station." I say quietly. "I had better take it." Jack throws his hands up in the air and mumbles something under his breath that I don't quite catch. "Hello?" "This is a collect call from Mason Treadwell, press 1 to accept this call." Normally I would ignore it but given the circumstances, I'm happy for the distraction. "What do you want Mason?" I don't have time for pleasantries today, plus he knows better than to contact me. I made sure of it. "Well done, Ms. Thorne. And here I thought I had seen the worse in you." "What are you talking about?" I snap. "Wait you mean...you don't know?" I can hear the smile in his voice. "Mason, I am about five seconds away from hanging up on you." "Okay, okay" he says amusingly. "It's not like I get that much phone time anyway." "One..." I begin to count. "Listen, just turn on the news, because if what I am hearing around the grapevine is true. I think this book is about to get a lot more interesting." "Mason I do not have time for this, just tell me whatever pathetic thing it is you need to tell me and.." I don't get to finish my sentence. "Well isn't this a new perspective. Me getting to crash your world into the ground." "Two..." Mason sighs. "Rumor has it that I have a new inmate. A pretty famous cyber legend to be more exact." "Mason, the falcon has been in custody for a while. Your news is old, goodbye." I start to hang up, but his next words stop me dead.

"I'm talking about Nolan." When I don't say anything, he continues. "You know your best friend, partner in crime, pain in my ass… ring a bell?" "You're mistaken." I immediately say. I'm pacing faster and farther away from jack than I mean to, it's a nervous habit. "Why would anyone arrest Nolan? He couldn't hurt a fly." "Tell that to the NYPD that just had him incarcerated for, what would you know, taking down a flight…. Flight 197 to be exact?" I hang up the phone with lightning speed. "Nolan's been arr..."

I turn around to find Jack Porter gone...


	2. Chapter 2

"_Amanda! Come on, You know my dad rarely let's me stay over for dinner; if I'm late getting home, I won't get to stay anymore… AMA…." Jack finally spotted her sitting a little ways down the beach. They had been playing tag when Sammy had seen another puppy and chased it a good ways down the beach. Amanda had yelled for Sammy to come back, but it was a lost cause. Jack had laughed it off and promised Amanda he would catch up with Sammy and bring him back. Sammy was unfortunately much quicker than Jack thought. When Jack finally caught Sammy, he walked back with the young dog in his arms to find Amanda gone. At first he thought that she had went into the house for something, but after a few minutes Jack began to worry. He knew Amanda wouldn't leave him on the beach, especially since he was staying over for dinner. Jack started walking in the opposite direction from where Sammy had ran, every once in a while yelling Amanda's name. When Jack finally caught sight of Amanda, he let out a huge sigh of relief and ran toward the girl. "Amanda, didn't you hear me yelling for you?!" Amanda turned around with tears rolling down her eyes. Jack instantly came to a stop. He had only seen Amanda cry one time before, and that was because she had fallen down on the beach and cut her knee open on glass. "Amanda…. What's wrong?" Jack asked, quickly giving her a once over looking for any signs of blood. "I like my house." she said. Jack looked confused, but quietly sat next to her. "Well so do I….but why are you crying." Amanda looked at the huge house in front of her. "The other night, I saw my daddy kiss the woman that lives in this house." Jack looked up at the mansion in front of him. "I don't like her. She only comes over when I'm supposed to be sleeping, but sometimes I just pretend to sleep." "Why don't you like her…?" Jack asked. "Because daddy tries to hide her from me. Every time she comes over, she talks like something bad is gonna happen….Plus what if daddy get's married to her, and then we move…what about…." "Amanda… " Jack interrupted the girl before she got herself too worked up. "Are you sure this isn't about something else?" Jack asked. "What do you mean?" "About a year after my mom left, I walked downstairs late one night, after my bedtime. I found my dad kissing some lady. I was so angry at my dad, I yelled at him and ran back upstairs to my room. When my dad came after me, he told me that just because he was kissing someone else didn't mean she was replacing my mom... but then he told me that he didn't think my mom was gonna come home soon, or maybe not ever..." Amanda looked at Jack with horror on her face. She and Jack had only talked about their moms briefly. He knew her mom was dead, and she knew that his mom had run away. "You don't know that, she might come back!" "Maybe." Jack said. "But my point is, I never saw the woman again. And me, my dad, and Declan still live in that same bar. Just because your dad is kissing her, it doesn't mean he is marrying her or moving into her house…. And it doesn't mean she's your mom either. Even if your dad does like her, she isn't going to take him away from you." Amanda looked back at the big house. A chill ran down her spine."I guess you're right…" Sammy jumped into her lap and made her giggle. "Sammy! No more chasing other puppies, got it?" She playfully asked the dog. Jack jumped up. "Race you back to your house for dinner." "You're on!" Amanda yelled before taking a head start. "Cheater!" Jack yelled before running after her. _

* * *

><p>Jack woke up with a start. The memory was so vivid, it seemed like it had just happened yesterday. As soon as his eyes focused, everything came rushing back to him. His wife was dead. His wife was not Amanda Clarke. Emily Thorne was Amanda Clarke. Declan was dead. He needed a drink. Every day since finding out about Amanda, Jack woke up and had to repeat this information to himself. It still didn't seem real. He didn't even remember his own brother's funeral. Emily…or Amanda had tried to come, but he wouldn't let her into the church. She eventually stopped trying to call him. He had to give it to her though, she was persistent. Two weeks straight and she had called every morning at the same time, even though he hadn't answered once. Jack got up to go check on Carl. He walked over to the crib to see his precious son still sleeping. He had been filled with a lot of guilt these past few weeks. He had almost thrown away the most important thing in the world. If he had shot Conrad he would be in jail right now, and would probably never see his son again. The thought instantly brought tears to his eyes. He had been so selfish, but so angry. And like clock work, his mind was brought back to Emily. She had stopped him from throwing this all away, all the while crashing his world further into the ground. He reached into his pocket and pulled out his cell phone. He dialed her number knowing she would come the second he asked. "Charlotte, listen, do you think you could come over and watch Carl for a little while." At first, he hated to ask her for help, but then he realized it was good for her. It took her mind off of everything. She loved Carl like he was her own. Plus he figured he better take advantage of her help before she left next week. He still wanted to talk to her about that. He wasn't sure that going away was the best idea. "Sure, I'll be over in an hour." Jack figured he would get ready to go out while Carl was still sleeping. It was time to get this conversation over with.<p>

Emily was walking through the empty house slowly. It was perfect for Nolan. "I'll take it." She told the real estate agent. "Perfect Ms. Thorne, I'll get the contract written up and fax it over to you?" "Sounds great." Emily replied. The real estate agent went outside to make a phone call, while Emily smiled at the empty walls. For the first time in a month, she was smiling. She had only been able to talk to Nolan once. But it was enough to give her hope that he would be out of that terrible place soon. The police were finding out who all the real members of the initiative were faster than she could have hoped for. Which meant soon they would have to let Nolan go. Emily's thoughts were interrupted by her phone going off. Pulling the phone out of her bag, she let out a little gasp of surprise. It was a text message…from Jack. She hadn't heard from him since the night he had disappeared while she was on the phone with Mason.

_Meet me on the beach in an hour - Jack _

Emily put her phone back in her purse and walked outside. "Well, I hate to run off, but duty calls. Just forward me the papers to sign." She told the real estate agent. "Okay, Ms. Thorne, and thank you!" Emily got into her car and started driving toward her house, nerves filling her stomach.

* * *

><p>After arriving home and slipping off her shoes, Emily began to make her way to the beach. She stopped halfway when her breath caught in her throat. She thought she would beat him to the beach, but she was wrong. Standing at the edge of the ocean was Jack Porter. He was facing away from her, looking out at the ocean. It was a beautiful sight. Emily swallowed hard as a memory took her over.<p>

"_GOTCHA." Jack shouted as he hit Amanda in the back with his water gun. Amanda screeched as she turned around. Jack had snuck up on her while she was standing with her toes in the water, looking out at the ocean. She had been lost in deep thought, but it quickly dissipated when Jack had shot her with freezing water. She picked her water gun up laughing before chasing him in circles, squirting him with water repeatedly. _

Emily arrived next to Jack. "I never took the time to see just how beautiful it is here." Jack said. Emily looked out toward the ocean. "Yeah, it's my favorite place in the entire world." Jack half smiled. "I know." Just as soon as the smile had come, it was gone. "Emily…." Jack sighed. "I don't even know what to call you actually." "Emily's fine." she replied quietly. Jack looked at her for the first time in a month. She looked tired, but still as beautiful as always. He couldn't help but to notice the dark circles under her eyes, and Jack hated the way his heart instantly filled with worry. "How's Carl?" Emily said. Hoping to delay the conversation that needed to happen. Jack's face lit up a little at the mention of his son's name. "He's good. He's into everything, but he's good." Emily smiled at hearing this. "Listen Jack…" "No, me first." Jack interrupted her. "I've been doing a lot of thinking lately. And I want you to know something. I was really lost at first. I couldn't for the life of me figure out what was going on with you. Then one morning Carl looked at me and just smiled. For no other reason than the fact that I was looking at him. And in that moment I realized just how much he loved me, how much I loved my own father…" Emily looked down at this. That was one of the biggest regrets. She had wanted to be there for Jack so badly when his father passed away, but she couldn't. Not the way she wanted to be. "Carl would have never forgiven me if I had gotten myself locked up, only to leave him as an orphan. But more than that... he would have never forgiven the Grayson's for what they had done to our family. I didn't want him growing up with that kind of resentment, that kind of hatred." Emily had to look in the other direction. "I think that's when I figured it out. Why you are doing this. I'm right aren't I?" Emily looked back at Jack with tears in her eyes. "I understand anger, Emily. I understand hatred, and I understand loss. What I don't understand, is why you thought you couldn't trust me." Emily immediately feels her heart break. "I do trust you Jack! I just.." "No you clearly don't." Jack interrupts her. "Because if you trusted me, you would have told me who you really were! Maybe not right away. But surely after we got to know each other again. If you trusted me, you wouldn't have lied to me for so long. You would have told me the truth, the second you saw my world crashing to the ground!" Emily feels the tears pouring out of her eyes now, and there is nothing she can do to hide them. Jack is ripping her apart from the inside and it's going to kill her. "It's because I CARE about you Jack! Don't you see?! I didn't want you involved in any of this! I didn't want you to get hurt!" Emily cried. "Well I think, it's a little too late for that, don't you?" Jack said. "If you really cared about me, you would have told me the truth. You wouldn't have let me fall in love with someone claiming to be you. You wouldn't have let me think that my best friend had been murdered on a boat and was six feet under. I mean I was married to someone that I have a child with, and I don't even know her NAME." Jack yelled. "Emily…" Emily whispered. "What?" Jack said angry and confused. "Her name was Emily…. Emily Thorne. We switched identities when we were in juvy together…" Jack lets out a sarcastic laugh. "Of course you did. Let me guess whose idea that was." Emily finally snaps. "Look Jack, I know you're angry. But I loved Amanda. She was my best friend, and I know she loved you. Don't downplay your relationship with her, because it was real..." Jack feels tears come to his eyes, but quickly looks away. Emily can tell Jack needs his space and begins speaking softly. "I know you hate me, but I swear to you. I never wanted you to get hurt in all of this. And when you're ready, I promise, I'll tell you whatever you need to know. And if you never want to speak to me again…I understand. Just please know how sorry I am…." Emily begins to walk back to the beach house, and Jack Porter stands facing the ocean with tears streaming down his face.


	3. Chapter 3

"Thank God." Nolan says as he eagerly takes the bag out of Emily's hand. He was just told he would be released in a week, and he had never been happier. Well, not until Emily walked in with some clothing items that weren't in the orange category. That doubled his happiness. Emily glanced at Nolan and could not help the smile that crept up on her. Nolan was lit up like a Christmas tree. She would never admit it out loud but she had missed him more than she thought possible this summer. "A scarf?" Nolan asks as he is sorting through the clothing items she bought for him. "It looked like you. " She shrugs. "And last time I was here, it was like sitting in an igloo." Nolan grins at her before deciding that scarves will be in his wardrobe this fall. Truth be told it made Nolan almost giddy that his friend had spent time looking through the men's department with him in mind. He knew Emily cared about him, but little reminders were always nice.

"How have you been?" Emily asks before looking down. Suddenly her shoes seemed to be the most interesting thing in the room. Nolan knew Emily was still blaming herself for him being in jail in the first place. He had told her over five hundred times there was nothing she could have done, but he's almost positive it goes in one ear and out the other. He grins at her, deciding to lighten the mood a little. "Well let's see. What has changed in the week since you were last here…? Oh that's right. Trish is mad at me…again." Emily looks up at this. "Nolan, I told you to stay on her good side! What if you end up having to stay here longer for bad behavior?" "Relax kitten. She's just the cafeteria lady. Besides she pretends to hate me, but how could anyone really hate this?" Nolan asks as he points at himself. Emily tries to fight back the smile, but it escapes her anyway. "So what did you do to Trish now?" "Well, let's just say do not mention my name or Mahi Mahi anywhere in a ten mile radius of her." Emily shakes her head while laughing softly. "Anyway, enough about my boring life on the inside. What's going on with you? Have you talked to Jack anymore?" "Not since the day at the beach." Emily says sadly. "Hey." Nolan says as he touches her shoulder. "He'll come around." Emily half smiles. "Yeah maybe." "Nolan Ross, your time is up." One of the guards interrupts. Nolan quickly frowns before he looks back at Emily. "Well hell calls. See you again next week?" Emily smiles before wrapping her arms around him. "I'll be waiting for you on the outside." Nolan pulls out of the hug and smirks at her before getting up to walk back to his cell. Emily smiles as she notices the slight bounce to his step that hadn't been there in a while.

* * *

><p>"Daniel, I already told you I can not go with you next week. Nolan is being released and I promised him I would pick him up." Emily rolls her eyes at Daniel's back for the one thousandth time that week. She wasn't sure how much longer she could pretend to be in love with him. Lately everything he did was annoying her. "Emily, can't he just pay someone to pick him up?" Emily literally thought about throwing something at his head, but instead took a deep breath and counted to three before she began calmly. "Well Daniel, maybe he could if he still had a company that was up and running." That shut Daniel up quick enough. It was still a sore topic between the two of them. Just when Daniel was about to apologize, the door bell rang. "I'll get it." Emily said a little too quickly. Any reason to get away from Daniel Grayson for even half a second was always well worth her time.<p>

Emily quickly ran down the stairs to open the door; only to be stopped dead in her tracks. It had been almost two weeks, but to be honest she had expected it to be a lot longer. "Jack." Emily says shocked. She's surprised her mouth can even form one word. "Hey…." Jack says awkwardly. "Uh, can we talk?" Emily nervously looks behind her to make sure Daniel hadn't followed her from upstairs. "Well….now isn't the best time." Jack scoffs. "Of course it isn't." "Jack…" Emily pushes him outside gently and closes the door behind her; leaving them both standing on the porch. "Daniel's here." Emily says quietly. "Why is Daniel here? Are you still with him?!" Jack half way yells. "Jack please…" Emily says nervously looking around. She didn't want Daniel to hear them, or even worse, Victoria. "Listen, I promised you I would tell you anything you wanted to know, and I meant it. I just can't right now." Jack looks at Emily for a second before scoffing and turning to leave. "Jack wait." Emily says before grabbing his arm gently. Jack slowly turns around to give Emily another chance. "Do you have your phone?" "What?" Jack asks, confused. "Your phone, do you have it on you?" Jack pulled his phone out of his pocket in confusion before handing it to her. Emily opens up his notes to type in an address before saving it and handing it back. Meet me at this address tomorrow. I promise I'll tell you anything. Emily says the last part quietly. It's still hard for her to come to terms with Jack Porter hating her guts. Jack looks at the address for a second before giving a slight nod toward Emily. It was hard to keep his temper in check, but he had been working on it. "Alright." Jack says before turning to walk off. Emily watches him leave and to be honest she isn't sure if the tears are from Jack or the thought of having to go back into the house with Daniel, but either way she's sure she hasn't shed this many tears since she was a child. She shakes her head before heading back inside. She needed to get a grip.

* * *

><p>Emily pulls up into Nolan's driveway at the new house she had bought for him. She takes off her sunglasses and winces at the rays coming from the sun. She hadn't slept a wink last night, and it was written clearly in the huge bags under her eyes. Dark circles under her eyes were actually starting to become a trend and Emily was not amused. She reaches into her purse and grabs the keys to unlock the door. Her mood is instantly lifted when she walks into the empty house. Nolan was going to be so surprised. She couldn't wait to see the look on his face. Or maybe she won't get to see the look, because Jack Porter will probably rip her to shreds when he arrives. Emily shakes the thought from her mind. She had been dreading this meeting since Jack left her house the night before. Emily walks out back to the pool and sits at the edge, putting her feet in the water. Before Emily can block it out, memories of her mother enter her mind. Now that Jack knew who she was, she was afraid he would tell her mother. They needed to talk about that soon. She wasn't ready to deal with that storm just yet.<p>

"Um…hey." Emily quickly turns her head toward the back door. She hadn't even heard Jack come in. "Hi." Emily says quietly. "The door was open…so I just came in." Emily smiled at him. Jack walked over and sat next to her; taking his shoes off. He figured he might as well enjoy the sun. "So, is this your new getaway? Not bad…" "No, it's a gift for Nolan. It's a long story, but I sort of owe him a house. Plus he deserves it." Jack notices the smile on Emily's face when talking about their friend. "Yeah, I guess he does." Jack says quietly. They settle into an awkward silence for a minute before Emily speaks up. "Listen Jack…" "No, me first." Jack says. Emily closes her eyes and prepares for the worst. "Look Emily, I didn't mean to go off on you the other day at the beach. I was just angry and humiliated. How could I not know?!" Jack asks with a laugh. "It isn't your fault...I didn't want you to know so you didn't." Emily says quietly. Jack looks at her for a minute before continuing. "So, you're doing this to get back at the Grayson's. For taking away your father?" "They didn't just take him away Jack, they had him murdered." Emily says a little defensively. "Yeah, trust me; I get that part of it." Emily looks down ashamed. Of course Jack understood. They killed his brother.

"Jack, I am so sorry about Declan, if I could have just.." "Emily stop." As angry as he was at her, he wouldn't let her blame herself for Declans death. "There isn't anything you could have done." "But if I could have just gotten there sooner…" Emily begins. "Then they would have killed you too." Emily mumbles something that Jack doesn't catch. "I can't hear you Emily." Jack says gently. "I said, maybe they should have. Maybe if they would have gotten to me then Declan wouldn't be dead right now, maybe if I had tried harder I could have saved Padma before she was forced to frame Nolan, maybe he would be…" "EMILY. STOP." Emily jumps at hearing Jack raise his voice as her. "Emily, the Grayson's are terrible people. There isn't anything that you could have done to stop them. Declan would have become involved with Charlotte with or without you here. Padma was tied up with the Grayson's before she even met Nolan. You couldn't have stopped any of this from happening." Emily hears the desperation in Jack's voice. He was one of the only pure things left in her life, but even that had become tainted in the last year.

Jack beings to speak again "And besides, I actually got something good out of all of this." Emily looks at him as if he had grown another head. "I got Carl." he says with a slight smile on his face, but just as quickly as it appeared; it was gone. "That's why you have to stop all of this." "Jack I can't…" "Yes, you can Emily. They have already killed your father, your best friend, and my brother. If they find out who you are, they will go after you, and everyone else you care about. Including Nolan and your mother." "And you…" Emily finishes quietly. Jack quickly snaps his head to look at Emily. She's looking down at the water and he beings to wonder if he imagined it.

"So promise me…promise me you will end this." "I can't!" Emily says exasperated. She can already tell this conversation is headed for trouble. "Why not?! What is so important that it's worth risking your life for?!" "You said it yourself Jack!" Emily says frustrated. "They took everything from me. They took my mother, my father, my entire childhood was gone because of them! I had no one!" Emily says out of breath. Her voice had been getting higher and higher with each word. Jack stares at the broken girl in front of him before gently grabbing her hand. "Had Emily. Past tense, you have people right by your side everyday that care about you." Jack says. Emily feels her heart jump. It wasn't so long ago that she had almost given everything up for a life with this man. "I still have to clear my father's name." Emily says with a shaky voice. Jack sighs and releases her hand. He realizes he was fighting a lost cause. They sit in silence for a few minutes both with heavy hearts.

"Fine." Jack beings. "If you really want to do this. If this is something you can't let go. Then I want to help you." Emily is shocked at what she is hearing and quickly begins to shake her head. "Jack, no. There is no way; you can not get involved in this. I won't risk you.." "Emily, I'm not asking you." Jack interrupts. "I want whatever you are planning to be finished by the end of the summer. I can't risk anything happening to my son. I'm going to send him to my aunt's house for a little while. I want him safe." Emily flinches at this. She can't imagine anything happening to Carl, but she wouldn't put it past the Grayson's. Emily sits quietly for a minute before making her decision. "Okay." Emily says. "Okay?" Jack questions. He was expecting more of a fight. "I'll let you help, but if it get's too dangerous…" "Then we both back down." Jack interrupts her. Emily looks at Jack and knows what she has to do. It was time to take down the Grayson's for good.


End file.
